Freezing
by kkkateydid
Summary: Pikachu's sick, Ash is distraught, and Misty's freezing. AAML. OneShot. HORRIBLE SUMMARY. Read? Yeah? OH THANK YOU! R


A/N:  
I DO NOT OWN POKEMON IN ANYWAY. IF I DID... WELL... DAWN WOULDN'T BE ON THE SHOW. MISTY WOULD.  
Hope you like the story(:  
XOXO  
Kate

The snow outside fell lightly to the ground, coating the sharp blades of grass in a soft blanket of white. The sun tried to peek through the light gray clouds, outlining the puffy object in a ray of light.

As the temperature dropped at an alarming rate, inside the Pokémon Center was the place to be. The heaters were on high and blowing warm, crisp air into the main sitting area and especially all the rooms in the back. Sick and wounded Pokémon lay in small beds, covered by soft blankets as they received treatment. Trainers paced back and forth or sat by their Pokémon's bedside, waiting for a change.

Ash Ketchum sat next to a bedside of his own sick Pokémon and best friend, Pikachu. He wasn't sure what exactly was wrong with the little mouse Pokémon, but he knew it was bad.

Misty and Brock paced outside, not wanting to disturb the two. Of course, Pikachu getting sick wasn't anything new, but this time it seemed worse. Serious; possibly even life-threatening. And if it was, they didn't want to interrupt the two's last moments together.

"Come on, Pikachu. You'll get better... I know it!" Ash gripped the blankets on the hospital bed, his knuckles turning white. He tried to talk Pikachu getting better up in his head but all he wanted to do was cry for his little Pokémon. He was so sick and Ash hated seeing him that way.

His hat and coat had been hung at the door, the snow melting off of it. Pikachu had been stuffed inside his coat in attempt to keep him warm and healthy.

He had been kept warm, but the healthy side was to no avail. Pikachu was sick beyond words.

His little red cheeks sparked with lost electricity and his little black eyes were closed with sleep deprivation. His breaths came in short, shallow puffs as if he struggled to keep his small lungs inflating.

The gang had been there for what seemed like ages, but had only been three short days in actuality. And little Pikachu didn't seem to be getting any better.

Outside, Misty held Togepi tight. Thoughts of Ash flashed in her head and a tear ran down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away to avoid a question from Brock, who's arms were crossed over his chest as he too paced.

The door opened and Ash stepped out, his head down. His hair was messy and his face was racked with worry.

"Ash!" Misty ran over to him, trying not to look too eager to see him. "How's Pikachu doing?"

Ash clenched his teeth, trying to hold his tears back inside their hiding spot. He absentmindedly scratched his head and took a deep breath, searching for the words to answer Misty's question.

"He's fine." He muttered with a slight shrug.

Misty stared at him, not believing what he said. "No he's not... Ash, you don't have to pretend to be okay. If you want to cry, cry." She responded, inching closer to him.

Ash gulped. He didn't want to cry in front of Misty... or Brock for that matter.

"I have to go." He said suddenly, running past the two and out the doors of the Pokémon center.

The bitter wind whipped his cheeks, making the skin raw. His cheeks started to turn red and he stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. His arms were bare and flakes of white snow were perched in his hair. Puffs of white breath spouted from his mouth as he panted. He ran on the road, his footprints making tracks in the fresh snow.

"Ash!" He heard Misty call as she ran after him.

"Misty! You're going to freeze!" Brock called after her, staying inside the warm Pokémon center. Misty sniffed and kept running, holding her arms over her chest.

Her scrawny legs were bare in her usual outfit of jean shorts and a yellow tank top, one red suspender hanging off her shoulder. The wind slapped her in the face and froze her bare limbs and midsection, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was get to Ash before he froze.

Ash finally stopped running, standing and breathing heavily at the edge of the small town. He heard Misty yelp as she fell to the snowy ground and he turned around.

Misty lay in the snow, not bothering to move. She thought her legs would surely turn blue soon; same with her arms. Ash would keep running and nobody would find her until it was positively safe to go out in this blizzard. She would watch helplessly from above as Ash fell in love with another girl and forgot all about her; He would go his whole life without knowing her feelings for him.

"Misty!" She looked up and saw the distinct figure of Ash Ketchum running towards her. He slid to a stop beside her and knelt down.

"Ash? It's really cold..." She said, trying to laugh. Her body shivered uncontrollably and her teeth chattered. He chuckled a bit and picked her up, hugging her close.

"Why did you follow me?" He asked as he stood up and struggled to walk back to the Pokémon center.

She leaned her head up against his chest, which was also beginning to get cold. She said nothing for a few moments, just listening to his steady heartbeat.

"I can't lose you."

Ash looked down at her, watching as sleep overcame the fiery redhead. He finally saw the blurry lights of the building and began to run, stumbling a few times over the slick ground.

He pushed his way through the doors, still hugging Misty. Brock saw them come in and ran over to them from the desk of Nurse Joy.

"Ash! What happened?"

Ash shook his head. "I... don't know." He went over Misty's words in his head. _I can't lose you..._ What did that even mean?

Nurse Joy came running over in a panic. "Ash! Come with me and we'll give Misty her own room. She needs help." She said, ushering the thirteen year old into a separate wing of the Pokémon center. She put a key into a room's door handle and twisted, opening the door wide. Ash went inside, warm air suddenly burning his frost bitten cheeks. He lay Misty's cold body down on the bed and she instantly went limp as she hit the mattress.

"Misty!" Ash shouted, trying to go to his friend's bedside. Nurse Joy blocked him.

"Ash, you can come see her when she wakes up... _if _she wakes up.." The pink haired nurse looked at the girl over her shoulder and her eyes seemed worried.

"_If?"_ Ash asked as Nurse Joy pushed him out of the room and shut the door, pulling the shade down on the little window. Ash stood outside the door, feeling dejected.

If she woke up? _If?_

"Ash!" Brock ran over. "Is Misty okay?"

Ash bit his lip. How would he answer that? He could lie and say, 'yeah, she'll be fine' or tell him the truth, which wouldn't exactly be easy.

"They're taking care of her... she should be okay." The lie would hurt less.

"Phew! I was really worried." Brock said, his eyes softening a little bit. "Well, you want to get something to eat?"

Ash vigorously shook his head. "Nah, I'm gonna stick around until Misty wakes up."

Brock shrugged, already knowing that would be his answer. He turned away from the thirteen year old and walked further down the hall, finally disappearing from sight.

Ash slid down the wall, sitting by the door frame. He took a deep breath and tried to hear if Misty was talking, but all he could hear were the steady hums of machines whirring inside. He closed his eyes and felt sleep overtake him.

When he woke up, the door was open. He struggled to his feet, rubbing his eyes. He walked in and saw Misty, hooked up to machines, but thankfully conscious.

He smiled and tried to act casual. "Hey."

"Hey." She said, obviously exhausted.

"Feeling better?" He asked, pulling a chair up next to her bed and sitting down.

"Yeah. Thanks for uh... carrying me back." She said, looking in the opposite direction of Ash himself.

"Heh... no problem. I wasn't just going to leave you there." He said with a smile.

They sat in silence for a little while, staring around the pristinely white room. The wallpaper was peeling and the ugly pink flowers were faded but at the time, it seemed like a pretty perfect backdrop to their reunion.

"Hey, Misty?"

"Yeah, Ash?"

"I'm really glad you're okay."

Misty looked at the teenager and smiled. She waved him over and he got up, confused. He came over closer to her and she pulled him into a hug. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and pushed his head back. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, giving him another small hug. He pulled back, his cheeks a crimson shade of red.

"Embarrassed, Ketchum?" She laughed, smirking.

He shook his head and leant back down, kissing her softly on the lips. Her eyes widened and she touched her lips when he backed away, a triumphant grin on his face. Her cheeks flushed pink.

"Touché." She smiled, shrugging off his kiss.

"Uh-huh." He smirked, stifling a laugh.

"Misty!" The two turned their heads towards the door, Brock's smiling face staring back at them.

"Hey, Brock." Misty smiled, sitting up more in her bed.

"Feeling better, I'm guessing?"

"Definitely. I'm totally hungry, though."

"You can count on me," Brock smiled. He noticed Ash and put Misty's food run on hold. "Hey, Ash. I've got a surprise for you."

"Pika!" Pikachu came running around the corner, bounding into the room and jumping onto Ash's lap.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried happily, scooping the little yellow mouse up into a hug. "I'm so happy you're okay, buddy!"

"Hi, Pikachu!" Misty said, happy to see the little Pokémon up and healthy.

"Pika Pika!" He responded, jumping over to Misty and nuzzling her under the chin. He leapt back to Ash and sat on his lap.

"Ash?"

Ash turned his smile down and looked up at Misty. "Yeah?"

"Let's _not _tell Brock about what just happened, yeah?"

Ash laughed and nodded in agreement. Brock walked back into the room and the both stared at him in silence. His hands were full with a loaded breakfast tray. The orange juice looked as if it would slosh all over everything if he took one wrong step and the flower in the little pot was wilting a little, but it smelled heavenly.

"What?" He asked.

The two burst out laughing and Brock looked utterly confused.

"WHAT?!" He asked in a loud tone, annoyed with their little inside joke.

"We'll tell you when you're older, Brockie." Misty giggled, motioning for him to bring the food to her.

"I'm older than you are!" He exclaimed.

This brought more laughter to both Misty and Ash. Pikachu chuckled (well, as best as a Pokémon can) and sooner or later, Brock began to laugh as well. The room was full of laughter in a matter of minutes and only Ash and Misty knew why.

A/N:

TA DA.

My first Poké-Fic.

Hope you like it.

My new one with my made up, Ella, will be coming in shortly. If you like this one, read it too, okay?

Thanks for reading!

Comment and favorite, SVP!

-

Melody


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